A Fulham man has crowned a year of physical achievements – including swimming the Channel – by handing over £4,000 in sponsorship money to charity.

Chris Pinsent crammed in two marathons in London and New York in April and November, and in between managed to swim from England to France as part of four-man relay team.

The 29-year-old financial advisor, of Parsons Green, completed all three tasks in respectable times, despite admitting to not being a natural runner.

But his cross-Channel team were disappointed not to beat the time recorded by Litte Britain star David Walliams, who completed the gruelling feat single-handedly in 10 hours and 34 minutes.

"We were hoping to beat David Walliams' time, but alas it was not to be and we completed it in 12 hours, seven minutes," said Mr Pinsent.

"Swimming the Channel was such a unique experience, knowing each time we trained that we were raising money for a good cause only made us more determined to complete the challenge."

Mr Pinsent said a great deal of hard work and training went into the three challenges, but willpower and a good sense of humour were what saw him through to the end.

The Merrill Lynch worker chose visual impairment organisation SeeAbility, formerly The Royal School for the Blind, as his chosen charity.

He said: "When I set out my goals for 2010 it was not my intention to run two marathons and swim the Channel – it kind of just worked out that way.

"The training for each event was long and tough but knowing that I was supporting such a great cause made me all the more determined to see each challenge through to the end."

Mr Pinsent thanked all his supporters for helping him raise such a substantial sum.

The £4,000 will be used to help SeeAbility provide residential and community services for the blind, or those with partial sight and other disabilities.

Emma Smith, the charity's head of individual donors, said: "We are incredibly impressed that Chris managed to complete all these ambitious events in one year and we are delighted that he chose SeeAbility."